Una strada lunga al paradiso
by Shinsou808
Summary: The road to paradise is long as Teo and Fabrizia, the newest members of the Social Welfare Agency, find out. Does their job as a fratello make traveling that road any easier?
1. Missione Una: Il cavaliere dorato

**Una strata lunga al paradiso**

**(A Long Road to Paradise)**

**BY**

**SHINSOU808**

_It's a long road to paradise  
Though I feel the pain  
They tell me things are different now  
But I still hurt the same  
Haze grey and underway  
A world away from you  
And miles and miles of blue_

_~Long Road to Paradise, Edward Bilous  
_

**Missione Una**

**"Il cavaliere dorato" (The Golden Knight)**

**Disclaimer: All trademarks are properties of their respective owners including Gunslinger Girl to Yu Aida, the characters and storyline to myself, as well as the many real world companies throughout the story, including the song above (which is the opening to the PBS documentary, _Carrier_, great song)****.  
**

* * *

**Fri. 15 June, Ancona, Italy**

"_Fermo! Polizia!" _ Teodoro Marozzi took off after the suspect. He disliked the Italian etiquette of wearing a suit, even in the middle of summer. His shoes were clacking the asphalt and concrete, trying to pursue the son of a bitch. He could take a shot from his FN Five-SeveN or the Remington 870 mainly used for door breaching, but this was a crowded urban area, any careless shot would almost always result in casualties. Casualties meant media coverage and that would be the last thing they wanted, a news special circulating in the Italian media blowing their cover. As if the Italian media wasn't bad enough, the Prime Minister nearly owns the entire network.

His cyborg, Fabrizia, was right in front of him, her black hair bouncing with every step. He didn't mind that his cyborg could outrun him. That was her job, to try to at least make up for some of the deficiencies of the handlers, to make the _Fratello _more effective. It was the Italian taxpayers that were providing the money, it was best to make a damn well investment of it.

Together they are part of an organization of the Italian government, the _Agenzia __Assistenza Sociale, _The Social Welfare Agency, one of many lost in the endless maze of Italian bureaucracy. Another agency set up by the bureaucrats of the government; as much as he hated them, he had to be grateful for their rare assistance and their willingness to cover for most of the ops they took on.

However Teo was more concerned fighting the narrow and often confusing maze of Italian city streets.

"Suspect is on foot, heading toward the water. Marco, do you have a bead?" Teo radioed.

"I have. Don't let him get on the ferries. I don't want to call the Marina Militare to deal with a hostage situation." Macro observed through his binoculars at the top of Torre Civica. His new cyborg, Raffaella, was intently focused in the scope of her Austrian made, 7.62x51mm chambered, Steyr SSG 04 rifle. Despite if her short, wavy, chestnut hair was swaying in the wind underneath a scarlet beret, she was ready to take a shot if ordered.

"I know that!" Teo huffed. He didn't like running too much, especially with the sun beating down on him. The black _Armani_ suit didn't help with the running either. He didn't know how Italians could run in this.

"Armando and Franca are nearby if you need their help," Marco informed Teo, cautiously observing the suspect.

"Thanks, but I'd like to take this one down on my own if possible. Suspect is entering three-story building, near Molo Santa Maria," he radioed as the man ducked into the building.

Following his cyborg, he paced up the steps with shotgun in hand. At least it was better here than shooting it off outside.

Fabrizia stood just outside a door on the third floor, with a French made assault rifle, the FAMAS, in hand with a full magazine of ammunition, ready to breach. They had practiced this drill before and Teo knew immediately what to do. He aimed the shotgun at the lock and shot it out, kicking the door open shortly afterward with his black shoes that had their beautiful shine ruined from the running.

Fabrizia charged inside first, dispatching the terrorists behind the couch with relative ease with a few short three round bursts of 5.56x45mm cartridges lodged in their bodies. It'd probably make a bloody mess on the floor, but nothing the cleanup crew couldn't handle. Teo soon followed inside with the Remington up to his shoulders, quickly clearing the hallway and bathroom, and meeting up to find Fabrizia cornering the terrorist shortly afterward.

"_Smetilla!" _ Teo shouted at the man, clutching a SIG P226 against his light blue U.C. AlbinoLeffe polo shirt. Sensing that resistance was futile, he wisely dropped it, with Teo kicking it away.

"Fabrizia, restrain him," he calmed down a bit.

"Yes, sir," Fabrizia went to work with a set of handcuffs. Teo slung the shotgun over his shoulder.

"Jean, this is Teo," he radioed, making sure to keep one eye on the prisoner as well. "Suspect captured. Mission success?" he asked in anticipation.

"We'll discuss it when you return to Rome, you'll be relieved once Jose arrives," Jean said stoically. Teo rolled his eyes, _How hard is it to get an approval for this guy? _ "Understood, Teo out." He sighed, so much for that, no confirmation.

Then came the tedious task of actually watching the poor bastard like a little kid. Thankfully it didn't seem too bad as Jose and Henrietta arrived on the scene within a few moments. Henrietta trailed behind Jose a bit, waiting patiently for her Fratello's next orders.

"Teo," Jose called.

"Hey, Jose," Teodoro responded. "Jean told me you're supposed to relieve me."

"That's right," he acknowledged. "Is that S.S. Lazio?" he asked, pointing toward the prisoner's shirt.

"Not quite," Teo replied. "AlbinoLeffe, Serie B; just relegated from Serie A this season. Why would a Northerner wear an S.S. Lazio shirt?"

"I guess you're right," Jose said.

"Anyway, good luck with him," Teo said as he turned to leave. "C'mon Fabri."

"Coming," Fabrizia pointed her weapon toward the ground as she went toward her handler.

"_Ehi! Tu pezzo di merda __americano!" _ exclaimed the prisoner as he spat toward Teo.

Teo thought nothing of it, brushing it off as it were a childish insult. His cyborg thought otherwise, pointing her FAMAS toward the prisoner, her brown eyes focused down the sights, preparing to shoot.

Teo rested his hand on her shoulder, "Fabrizia, stand down," he softly, but firmly ordered.

Fabrizia reluctantly lowered her FAMAS, safed it, and turned to follow her handler out.

Teo readjusted his tie for a bit and sighed in relief as the pair walked down the stairs, "Not bad for a first mission. Turned out okay," he nervously said to break the silence.

"Yeah, I guess," Fabrizia said with a bit of awkwardness. "That guy disrespected you though, would you have shot him?"

"Maybe if I wasn't with the agency," Teo shrugged. "Want to discuss it over a football game?" he asked. "I've heard there's an exhibition match nearby at the local football pitch."

"_Uomini e calcio…"_ Fabrizia muttered a little coldly. She didn't like football too much; she couldn't figure out the meaning of 22 guys kicking a ball for what seemed like forever. It was utter nonsense to her to see people to go wild after just one goal, be glued to the match ever since, watching highlights countless times, and being loyal to the death. All for over a silly football team, she thought.

"Hey, I heard that," Teo chuckled, softly patting her head. "Alright then, how about lunch? Your call."

"Yeah!" she beamed as she unloaded her FAMAS into the waiting Social Welfare Agency van. Teo did the same. He wanted to make use of the leave, a good lunch always works. He hoped Fabrizia would make the right decision.

* * *

**Piazza del Plebiscito, Ancona,**

It was a beautiful day to eat outside, Teo thought, despite running around in a suit. A cool seabreeze swept through the plaza, swaying the plants beside him, the umbrella the both of them were sitting under, and Fabrizia's black hair in a ponytail. A mix of locals and tourists alike were mingling in the piazza, having a chat, going for a walk, minding their own business. Teo hoped he didn't want to be interrupted from lunch.

Teo didn't order wine in general for them; they needed to be sharp at all times for this job. Besides, he was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, she was a cyborg, who knows what could happen if she consumed alcohol. She definitely looked old enough to drink though.

"Great pick on that one Fabri," Teo complimented after a satisfying 2 course meal.

"Thanks!" Fabrizia munched on her biscotti, leaving crumbs everywhere on the white tablecloth, her white dress, and her jeans. "Teo, What were you going to say about the guy earlier?" she asked.

"I didn't think he was from here, probably from Switzerland. Do they ever give you a briefing on international relations in your classes?" Teo enquired, also working on his biscotti.

"No, they don't," Fabrizia shrugged.

"Really? I'd think they'd incorporate it into your studies," Teo commented. He made a note to himself to bring it up in the meetings. "Do you know about the Swiss ascension to the EU?"

"Yeah, a bit. Why?"

"Well, they have an Italian speaking region called Ticino. Unfortunately, it's quite supportive to PRF agenda and rest of Switzerland doesn't take too kindly to it."

"So… what you're trying to say is…"

"An international mess screwed up beyond belief is the last thing the agency or the country needs. If Switzerland turns into a Balkan war zone, their application that they passed by a less-than-a-percent margin is done for. The Swiss would blame us and the PRF would get instant recognition."

"The PRF would cheer for that right?

"Exactly, Southern companies would move in, kill off the local businesses, and siphon all that money to the south if the application was approved, according to their reasoning."

"What a screwed up world…" Fabrizia complained. "It's too complicated."

"It is," Teo shrugged. "But what can you do about it? I thought I could escape that by joining the agency."

"Who where you with before?" Fabrizia asked.

"Oh, I was with the Aeronautica Militare," Teo chucked. "It was much simpler back there, I gotta admit. I still have everything except my service cap if you want to take a look at it later; the guys at Aviano were the best though."

"Whatever you say," Fabrizia smiled a bit.

Teo wanted to stay longer in Ancona, watching people mill about their time and be free from the pressures of the agency. However, the both of them needed to get back to Rome. He soaked in another sea breeze before reluctantly saying, "_Scusi, cameriere? Il conto per favore," _to request the check. After paying the check with a bunch of Euro bills and coins, they both got into a waiting blue agency Alfa Romeo 159 that would take them straight to the airport.

Teo looked at the beautiful Adriatic Sea. He should come back here at least once as a tourist, he thought.

* * *

**Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport, Rome,**

Fabrizia was still sleeping after Alitalia Flight 1129 touched down in Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport in the mid-afternoon hours. The sun was still bright and up, Teo wondered how she could ever sleep though that, she asked for the window seat after all.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Fiumicino International Airport, Rome. The local time is…"

Teo didn't care. All he knew that this flight was five minutes behind schedule, like most domestic flights. He was lucky, he had read the trip reports online on how tortuous this flight might have been but it turned out pretty smoothly in the Brazilian-made jet. Fabrizia stirred awake just when the Embraer E170 was taxing toward the gate.

It was a long day for the both of them, he thought. Those thoughts didn't part as the pair bolted from the gate, through the busy terminal, and onto the regional train. Teo was reading the English language section from the _Corriere della Sera_, while Fabrizia was busy browsing the _Cultura _section, catching up on the news they might have missed. Teo didn't mind getting news from the TV or the internet but always preferred the touch and feeling of the newspaper; Fabrizia picked up the habit just by watching Teo when they went through training.

Time seemed to pass much faster by reading the newspaper as the train pulled into Stazione di Roma Travestere, near where the _Agenzia_ decided to set up their headquarters. Teo didn't quite understand why the politicians decided to place their headquarters in Trastevere, it was not really close to the important government buildings and was definitely not near the American embassy. He had to admit, if it wasn't for the government connections and the affiliation with the Carabinieri, there wouldn't be any of the perks that came with the job.

Just like the villa on Via dei Genovesi. It was a great complex, a great place just to relax and Trastevere was a great part of Rome to be in, in his opinion.

Now dealing with Jean; that would be a different story.

* * *

**Agenzia Assistenza Sociale HQ, Trastevere, Rome**

"What do you mean mission failed?" Teo asked, stunned. He successfully captured the guy, why mission failed? There were no casualties, no major screw ups that he knew of.

"You were supposed to capture him in the piazza, not near the ferries, that was the mission." Jean coldly stated. _Yeah, that screw up, _Teo reminded himself. "You didn't capture him in the piazza, therefore, mission failed," he looked over the folder once more.

"But..." Teo pleaded.

"I will overlook this one, Teo. But, remember that any deviation from the mission will have, with few exceptions, its consequences," Jean warned, snapping the folder shut in the process. "Fortunately, there weren't many, but I am not going to cover every mission you screw up."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

* * *

Teo was busy writing up a mission report on his computer. He knew the importance of writing these but still didn't like the fact that they had to be done anyway. Something to satisfy the pencil pushers, bean counters, or policy wonks; they seemed to be everywhere. Teo took a sip of an energy drink; he didn't need that much of a kick to help him stay awake. How many rounds did his cyborg fire again? He couldn't remember.

*knock, knock,* came from the door.

"Come in, it's unlocked," Teo called from his desk, albeit somewhat hoarse and gruffly.

"Hi, Teo," Fabrizia walked in, her black hair let down and a bit messy, flowing over her purple pyjama top and blue bottom.

"Oh. Hey Fabri, what's up?" Teo smiled; a perfect, pleasant distraction from the banality of official writing.

"Nothing much," Fabrizia chimed with a CD-RW. "Everyone listens to the same thing in the dorms. Got any foreign music?"

"Have a look," he dusted off his old Dell laptop, relegated to media storage. It had gone everywhere with him once before, now it was showing its age, but it still worked. It could play every one of the songs that were squeezed onto possibly every inch of its hard drive.

"Thanks!" Fabrizia said as she went to work browsing through Teo's library of songs. American, Italian, Dutch, even Japanese music, she thought his musical variety was amazing. "Teo, you have the best library of anyone here you know."

"Really? I thought mine was nothing compared to Joze's…"

"Joze only has good music from here or England," Fabrizia commented, pushing her bangs out of her face, swinging her legs up and down in delight.

"You just say that only because I'm your fratello, Fabri," Teo joked, leaning back into his chair, slouching a bit.

"It's true though!" Fabrizia remarked, half-jokingly, half serious as the laptop burned 12 new songs onto the CD. Satisfied with her and the computer's choices, she popped the disk out and trotted cheerfully toward the door. "_Buona notte, Teo." _

Teo stifled a yawn, "_Si, buona notte, Fabri," _Teo waved off as Fabrizia went to head back to the dorms.

Teo thought he did enough of the writing to satisfy the stupid government administrative clerks, most of them were not the sharpest tool in the shed. He sorted out through some of his belongings from back in the good old days, before terrorism sent nearly the entire Western world into some sort of security paranoia.

He examined the DHL parcel that just came in the mail. It's probably been scanned or sniffed to detect anything that would compromise the villa. They certainly didn't take any chances regarding the special training of their members. He took the blue service cap from out of the box and held it in his hand, taking care to shine the brass star and wings affixed to the cap, polishing it to a near shiny clean.

Satisfied with the results, he placed it on his desk, lightly dusting off the top.

Teo went back to his computer finding a daily briefing from _Jane's Information Group _he hadn't read yet in his inbox. Though it was not required reading for the agents of the agency, it was still an invaluable resource nonetheless. His eyes wandered over the news headlines.

_Carabinieri orchestrate successful takedown of PRF fugitive in Italy…_

Yeah, barely. I messed up on that one, he thought. It was better that he had no credit in this. Who knows how that might have turned out?

_US re-negotiates security deal in the Baltics, Russia on edge…_

Lovely, more Russian thugs, they'd be more than happy to make our troubles even worse.

_10 FGM-148 Javelins unaccounted for; may be on black market, Defence Secretary Colburn admits…_

Javelins? 160,000 Euro, thermal-imaging, fire-and-forget can-openers on the black market? He shook his head. The PRF must have gotten their hands on one already or would be receiving those in a short while. Sure, they were amateurs when it came to these, but the world was full of these dangerous psychos. Unpredictable amateurs were the worst.

It didn't help the fact that Italy was still relying on its MILAN missiles, Javelins could easily outclass them, and now, Italy was too divided to agree on whether to purchase them or not. As if politicians could ever come to easy decision with lobbyists and other men breathing down their shoulders.

He shut his computer down. Thankfully, he was going to be off duty from the next operation tomorrow. He didn't worry too much on it, tomorrow was going to be an easy day.

He pulled out Fabrizia's dossier from his drawer, briefly looked it over, and returned it back to its proper place.

Yep, tomorrow was going to be an easy day…

* * *

**A/N: This is my first Gunslinger Girl fanfiction. I have done the best research I can; Google Earth, Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and other guides on Italy are a tremendous help. I hope my Italian is not too bad, I've taken a bit of classes. Please read and review!**

*****_Agenzia __Assistenza Sociale, _is, I think, the correct translation of the 'Social Welfare Agency' into Italian.


	2. Missione Due: Celesti aquilotti

**Missione Due**

**"Celesti aquilotti" (Young Sky-Blue Eagles)**

**Disclaimer: All trademarks are properties of their respective owners including Gunslinger Girl to Yu Aida, the characters and storyline to myself, as well as the many real world companies throughout the story. If there is anything you want to suggest in this story, don't hesitate to leave me ****a review or private message. Please read _and_ review!  
**

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* * *

**_**Sabato, 16 Giugno.**

_**Agenzia Assistenza Sociale**_** HQ, ****Trastevere, Rome, Italy**

The cracks of gun fire were dampened by the padded walls as Fabrizia went through the indoor time close quarters combat course.

"CLEAR!" Fabrizia shouted after shooting .45 caliber holes into three paper targets.

"That's my girl," Teo muttered to himself. She never failed the CQB course; she was a machine after all.

Teo watched intently from his viewpoint. He replaced her standard weapon, a complicated, but modern and admittedly cool looking FN P90, with a simpler, but older and cruder MAC-10. Teo had fired both of these submachine guns many times before; however Fabrizia had never spent much time with the MAC-10.

It would be interesting how Fabrizia would react to a completely different gun, Teo surmised. He saw her duck in an out of the corridors with the admittedly primitive looking gun clutched in her right hand and three M84 stun grenades at her waist. He'd always have these little drills to keep the both of them sharp. Although they could rely on each other for using the same type of ammunition for most of their kits, he knew more than anything that they needed to be acquainted with a host of weapons when their ammo supply ran out.

He checked his stopwatch; 13 seconds and halfway through. It was not her fastest time, though it was understandable with a usually unruly gun. He caught a glimpse of her usual focus in her brown eyes, her black hair ducking in and out of the monotonously gray concrete rooms littered with bullet holes from the previous sessions.

Fabrizia reloaded with a new magazine on her MAC-10. "FLASH!" he could hear her yell as she braced up against the wall. She rolled the M84 out of her hand as it clinked across the floor through the doorway, the mixture of ammonium and magnesium detonating soon afterward. Fabrizia charged through the white smoke, clearing the large room with fierce determination and at least to him, uncanny grace.

It seemed to remind him of the walls he walked through six months earlier, though just with a little more color…

* * *

**Lunedi, 20 ****Gennaio****. **

**Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy**

_Six months ago…_

Teo wandered through the lightly colored walls of the hospital, its cheeriness resonating throughout its halls. The children's works of art decked the halls of the corridor, showing how wonderful the hospital was, what they did today, or what kind of important person decided to show up and pay them a visit. From the humble police officer, to Italian senator, to American president, or even a German pope, they were doing a great service and Teo wished he could do that as well, but he had a job to do.

He passed so many children in varying states of physical disability; some in crutches, some in wheelchairs, some in stretchers; he couldn't help but feel bad for them and their parents. He knew that at least one of them would be selected for candidacy to become one of the world's deadliest assassins. Italy needed more of them, frankly, as long as the public didn't know too much about it.

However, he couldn't let those twisted thoughts get in the way of his real mission here. He entered the pass code for the "_Vietato l'accesso al personale non autorizzato / Authorized Personnel Only_" that stood in his way. After a few codes additional codes and doors that the agency told him about, he was in. He couldn't believe it, a highly specialized lab dedicated to, in a sense, cheating death. There was little guess to figure out where the money came from, it was certainly not from the Church.

Teo grabbed a white lab coat before heading into the observation room. He nervously eyed the three patients closely, wondering if any one of those girls lying in front of the glass would be most deserving of receiving a resurrection at life at the expense of Italian taxpayers. He put his hand up to the glass dividing them, trying to get a bit of better view of the potential candidates in front of him. It was stunning; he couldn't believe that such a way existed.

He looked around a bit, still taken a bit aback by the place.

"Never thought I'd see you again, Marco," Teo smirked a bit.

Marco stood in a while lab coat over his suit, keenly deciding which patient he should choose as well. "I'd never think you'd even pass selection, given your sniper rating," Marco commented.

"Hey, hey. I was just joking," Teo shrugged in defeat. Marco was his mentor during the selection process. Teo had to admit, he saved his ass a couple of times, something that even he didn't expect. He'd thought he'd be too busy with a cyborg to even look after him. If it wasn't for Marco, he wouldn't even be serving with the agency.

"Which one are you thinking about Marco?" Teo asked.

"I don't know. I think the one on the right," he said, pointing to the one with the shoulder length red hair. "Looks like a leukemia patient to me."

"Nah, I think the one in the middle is better looking than yours," Teo joked, pointing toward the one with the flowing black hair. Her thin, almost emaciated frame was resting peacefully under the white sheet, bruises and scratches on her shoulders. Her face looked pale, possibly from malnutrition. What the hell did she do deserve that? Teo wondered.

"That one?" Marco pointed. "That one's a _Maria Rossi. _All I know is that we found her in Napoli…_"_

"Napoli, huh?" Teo tried to imagine her face past her closed eyelids. "She doesn't look it though, looks very Chinese. She'd stand out very easily in this country."

"We can always change that..." Marco reminded Teo.

"I know, Marco. I'll send my order down to the smart bio-med people later," Teo sighed, dusting off the sleeves on his lab coat. "Not that it matters, but I'm sure you already have a name for your new girl."

"Not really, though I think Raffaella sounds good choice. What about Maria for you?" Marco asked.

"There's too many Maria's in Italy," Teo commented, dissatisfied with the commonness of the name. It was too easy for his tastes to name a girl after the Virgin Mary. "I've got a better one…"

_Si chiamerà Fabrizia…_

_Lo spirito del Fabbricante ha mosso sulla faccia di una ragazza…_

_

* * *

__**Agenzia Assistenza Sociale **_**HQ, Rome**

Present day…

"Teo?"

"Hmm…?" Teo mumbled aimlessly.

"Time?" Fabrizia asked, looking at Teo confusedly.

"Time?" Teo wondered. "Oh, sorry Fabri," Teo straightened and fumbled a bit to read his stopwatch. "Twenty-seven, fifteen. Not bad considering it's your first time with a completely different gun."

"It was pretty tough to handle," Fabrizia shrugged, still holding the now unloaded MAC-10 pointed to the ground. "I must have over-compensated for the recoil since it was a .45ACP cartridge."

"It's alright. I knew you'd try to over-compensate for it anyway," Teo patted her shoulder. "Do you want to go through the course again on your P90?"

"Hell yeah!" Fabrizia beamed.

"Okay," Teo chuckled at his cyborg's enthusiasm. "Let's see if you can beat your record."

He handed Fabrizia's waiting P90 as she grew excited with obvious giddy anticipation. "Calm down, Fabri. You're way too excited about a CQB drill," he raised an eyebrow.

"I can't help it, Teo. It's the most fun I'll get all day."

"Give 'em hell then, Fabri," Teo handed his cyborg a new set of flashbangs. "I'll be watching."

"Yes, sir!" she responded. What a cheeky response, he thought as his cyborg put her ear plugs back in her ears, eager for another turn.

* * *

**Sabato, 16 Giugno.**

**Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome**

Teo stood on the second level of the National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, a marble behemoth overlooking the city of Rome. He never really liked the huge mass of white marble jutting out on the Roman landscape, embedded like a broken tooth on the smile of Rome. If it wasn't a monument to Italian unification, then what would it be? The huge tricolore flags waved in the wind, to the amazement of the tourists down below, as if they haven't seen a bigger flag in their lives. It was a surprisingly lazy afternoon, he admitted. There was not a honk or ambulance siren in the normally congested streets in front of him. Maybe there was a pre-season friendly football match going on, as if any football match was friendly in the Serie A.

He'd wish he was back in HQ, watching the daily headlines from RAI, BBC, or CNN reporting on all kinds of human errors and misgivings. He had full confidence that his cyborg could handle anything without his supervision, but he must have realized the reasons behind fratello and sorella sticking together. It was only useful for deploying or securing a certain position at a moment's notice, with instant god-like power at the agency's fingertips. Other than that, it was overbearing, even by his standards.

He watched as Fabrizia wandered around the huge equestrian structure of Victor Emmanuel II, the first King of Italy. She pulled out a notebook and started sketching the statue of the man seated on an ornately decorated saddle, a saber sheath attached to its side. No doubt it was her homework for the weekend, like most normal teenagers of her age.

Teo couldn't help but think of the irony of coming here. Italy was in danger of splitting itself like the green, white, and red colors that ran down the flags. The pair of flags gallantly flowed in the wind, as if it never heard of the political unrest that could possibly take them down. It really should be changed to light blue, white, and red with the political situation going on, but no one would dare to do that.

"Yo, Teo. Why are you here?" a voice asked, almost rudely interrupting Teo's rambling thoughts.

"Nothing much really, Vittorio," Teo said, looking at the slightly short, but stocky man. "Just working…"

"You work too much, Teo," Vittorio said, pressing his black rimless glasses up to his brow. It was true, Teo admitted. He liked treating his cyborg like if she was his daughter, if not, like a younger sister, if that ever counted as work.

"I don't see your _sorella_ here," Teo said. He knew that even though Vittorio couldn't participate in operations due to the delays caused by the pencil pushers drowning in their own paperwork, at least Section 2 was kind enough to introduce him to a cyborg for the time being. "Where's Chiara?"

"Venezia…" Vittorio sighed, resting his elbows on the marble railing. "Never really been there, I don't like stupid tourists descending like a flock of pigeons…"

"Same here," Teo agreed. "Though going abroad sometimes is not bad either."

"Easy for you to say," Vittorio said. "The admin delays are killing me. At least the Guardia di Finanza is keeping me busy."

"Just hang in there. Honestly, it's not that much different…"

"I know, but where's the fun in being a fratello?"

"Having a sister who looks better than any real life sister you'd ever have, can follow orders to a tee, and can outclass you in any shooter you can throw at her?" Teo smirked, hoping Fabrizia wasn't in an earshot of the two of them.

"You know I love Time Crisis, Teo," Vittorio reminded.

"Just warning you now," Teo commented as Fabrizia seemed done with her sketches on the enormous statue.

"Hi, Vittorio," Fabrizia waved as she approached the pair. "Where's Chiara?"

"Venezia…"

"Eh? Venezia?" Fabrizia gasped. "Teo, " she said, tugging on Teo's sleeve. "When are we going there?"

"I'll try to ask for it for the one after our next assignment," Teo said. "I'm not sure if they're going to approve it, though."

"Same as always, Teo," Fabrizia pouted a bit. "Can't make any guarantees…"

"Well, I don't think Venezia isn't going to sink into the Mediterranean within a year," Teo shrugged. "But you never know…"

"Whatever…"

"Anyway, ready to head back?" Teo asked. "I'm sure Vittorio has to get to his job."

"Sure." Fabrizia smiled. "See you later, Vittorio" she waved.

"Yeah, see ya guys later," Vittorio nodded.

Teo and Fabrizia made their way down the huge marble steps of the monument to head home. Tomorrow was Sunday, at least the Mafia or the PRF choose to reserve Sundays for blending in and not causing a bloody mess on the streets of Italy. He took one last glimpse of the tricolore and the soldiers guarding it, before heading out into the streets of Rome.

He liked walking in this city partly because of the history, the arts, and the splendor that characterized the Eternal City but mostly that traffic was an absolute nightmare. Even with three metro lines crisscrossing the city, those damn Italians still loved their cars. But who could blame them? Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, just some of the most prestigious brands in all of cars. The Metropolitana di Roma S.p.A promised the AAS that they would have their station at Trastevere completed, but as always, the archeological remains that stood in their path still dogged them, even in that stage.

However, another thing caught his eye, a group of about three tightly packed curious onlookers on the sidewalk, no doubt a shell game, illegal on the streets of Rome. Vittorio and the Guardia di Finanza were probably too busy with international finance scandals and ponzi schemes to notice a local one right under their noses set up by poor immigrants desperate to make a fast buck. Besides, Teo owed him a bit of a favor. He quickly checked his pockets to see if he had his Carabinieri badge and ID. Fratello or not, he would rather be a Carabiniere than anything else if he had to.

"Fabri, do you have your Five Seven?" Teo asked.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"Don't draw it. See that group over there," Teo gestured. Fabrizia nodded a bit, hopefully not attracting any attention. "Shell gamers. It looks like they're amateurs, about three people. Stay back a bit. Don't engage unless I say so."

"Yes, sir."

Teo approached the person in the middle of it all, a lanky person with an unshaven and wrinkled face. He definitely didn't look Italian. Teo took a wary note of his surroundings and making sure to find a way out if things went crazy.

"_Buon giorno, potresti __mostrarmi nullaosta, per favore?" _ he said, flashing his Carabinieri badge and ID.

He got no reply. "_Ormai, per favore…"_

Something was amiss; the person he was talking was probably a complete amateur in crime and from the looks of it, didn't understand a word of Italian.

"May I see your permit, please?" he repeated in English. No use.

Even though he didn't show it, he was getting a little uneasy. Normally, most guys with shell games would trash their setup and run at the first sight of police, Carabinieri were no exception. However, Teo saw no sign of a commotion, either they could be incredibly naïve or worse, too damn greedy for their own good.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter as the man pulled out a fairly beat up pistol, his arm shaking as he tried to draw it up. Even though Teo's hands were starting to come up, he tripped him onto the concrete, sending the M70 tumbling. The two of them wrestled on the concrete for the Yugoslavian-made piece, Teo certainly didn't want to even think about getting hit with a .32ACP bullet, despite how wimpy it was compared to most bullets.

He was expecting to be beaten with all that time he was on the ground, surprisingly, the blows never came. He managed to grab the M70, stand, and point it at him.

"HANDS UP!" Teo shouted in the clearest English he could possibly belt out. Apparently that seemed to work.

"Teo!" Fabrizia shouted.

"Fabrizia, arrest him…" he said as he tried to regain his composure. Seriously, immigrants were the worst of all people. He looked at the stunned Balkan onlookers, "What are you looking at? _Lei vuole essere anche arrestato?"_

The rest of them wordlessly looked at each other in disbelief and quickly fled. Such loyal followers, Teo thought. He didn't bother to chase after them. He didn't need to, the charges probably wouldn't have stuck to the others and he probably would've gave a warning anyway.

"Yes, sir," his cyborg responded, using her plastic handcuffs to secure the shell gamer. "Teo, why aren't you chasing after them?" Fabrizia asked. "I wouldn't have minded arresting them."

"Us running around in the tourist sectors brandishing guns?" Teo scoffed. "Sounds like a recipe for a brutal standoff to me. And as far the law is concerned; they're only innocent bystanders not actively participating in the crime. "

"But they're witnesses…" Fabrizia pleaded.

"So are we. But… I don't think they could read-"

"_Polizia!_" he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Damn, Teo, what happened?" Teo turned and saw Vittorio coming from behind him along with another uniformed Guardia di Finanza officer.

"Must be an easy day for you," Teo observed, acknowledging him. "The Guardia actually shows up within five minutes, usually its 10 or 15."

"I just started, Teo," Vittorio said irritably, pulling out a small notebook. "Can you at least tell me what happened?"

"Alright, alright. Fraud, threatening a police officer with a gun," Teo said, with Vittorio writing down the details. "Gun is probably not registered… take your pick." Teo shrugged.

"Fraud first, that's what the _Guardia_ is for…" Vittorio handed the thug over to a waiting uniformed agent. "Thanks, Teo. I owe you one."

"No problem," Teo stifled a quick yawn. "Had to pay you back. Remember?"

"Yeah, I think that was more than enough," Vittorio commented eyeing Teo's catch of a swindler, amateur or otherwise. "I gotta owe you for that though."

"If you insist," Teo shrugged. "Would a ride back to HQ in a Guardia car count?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Vittorio said. "Later…"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. I don't mind. I'll let you do your job first."

"I heard the AAS was going to set you up on a humanitarian effort." Vittorio changed the subject. "Where to?"

"I've heard Kosovo is the place to be this year…"

* * *

**A/N: I hope the supporting characters are not too OOC. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the others.**


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